


Run Away With Me

by Littlebarchie07



Category: Riverdale (TV 2017)
Genre: Angst, F/M, Fluff, Fluff and Angst, barchie
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-06-10
Updated: 2020-06-10
Packaged: 2021-03-04 02:07:12
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 2,265
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/24646141
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Littlebarchie07/pseuds/Littlebarchie07
Summary: Archie turns up unexpectedly and askes Betty to go for an early morning run. Takes place after their kiss in 4x17 (but before 4x18 for the purpose of this little plot). Barchie angst and fluffiness because I AM CRAVING them.
Relationships: Archie Andrews/Betty Cooper
Comments: 3
Kudos: 50





	Run Away With Me

**Author's Note:**

> I honestly don’t know what this is so please, just run with it - ahaha, get it? Cos they go running? oh wow, it’s official, I have quarantine brain....

Betty was taken by surprise when Archie, dressed in a worn out jersey and running shorts, knocked at her door a little after 6:30am. Her sleepy eyes had not yet adjusted properly, and her bed head hair was a mess of blonde waves.

“Archie…?” She questioned in a sleep drawn whisper, as she pulled the door open and allowed the morning light to stream through the crack. She pulled the door wider, allowing him to shuffle inside. He didn’t need to be asked. After all, they practically lived in between each other's houses when they were younger, as far as they were concerned, it was as much of his house as it was hers. 

“What time is it?” She asked, blinking away the sleepy haze and stifling a yawn.

Archie ran his hand through his red locks and smiled sheepishly. “It’s just past 6:30.”

Betty’s blue eyes popped. “What are you doing here?” 

“I thought we could go for a morning run, you know. Like we used to do, before school?” He replied, his eyes traveling over her, taking in her sleep-like appearance. She was wearing a pale pink cami top, and some pink polka dot shorts. She was as cute as a button, but also hot as hell. How could someone be so cute and so damn attractive at the same time, especially after just waking up?

Flushing at his thoughts, Archie averted his gaze and looked up.

“A run? Arch, I haven’t gone for ‘a run’ since 6 th Grade.” She let out a soft chuckle. “But that could be fun, I suppose.” He waggled his eyebrows at her, and the way his smile grew on his face made Betty’s heart skip a beat, it reminded her of how things used to be between them; when it had just been the two of them. 

She cleared her throat and gestured for him to come into the house properly. It had nothing to do with the fact she was struggling to breathe in the hallway, standing so close to him, wearing next to nothing in the way of clothes. 

“Go refill your water bottle, and give me five minutes to get changed.” She turned swiftly, hesitating on the bottom step of the stairs. “Actually, give me ten; I need to find something that resembles gym wear, if we’re going running.”

Archie’s soft chuckle followed her as she raced up the stairs. 

* * *

Right, let’s go!” Betty’s voice sounded, as she emerged into the kitchen all but 7 minutes later. Her hair was slung back in her iconic blonde ponytail. She was wearing a small tank top, and some tight fitted sports leggings. 

Archie swallowed, as his voice caught in his throat. He let out a meek sound before standing abruptly. His eyes dropped to her midriff. Maybe this run was a bad idea, he couldn’t control his eyes, and they lingered on her for far too long. She seemed to be magnetic. Every inch of skin, his eyes wanted to trace. “Arch?” Her voice broke into his thoughts and he snapped out of his stare. 

“Yeah” He coughed, his eyes wandering around the kitchen, trying to look at anything other than her. Finally his eyes settled upon her face, and he nodded. “We should probably warm up first.”

Betty rolled her eyes, giving a coy smile. “Let’s start with a brisk walk.” With that, she grabbed his arm and pulled him forwards and out the back door.

The morning was mild, but there was a chill to the wind as they powered up their legs. Betty knew that as soon as they started moving, they would warm up instantaneously and to be honest, she really didn’t need the heat of the run. She felt flushed and hot enough already around Archie lately. Shaking her head, she focused on the path ahead. 

The key to a good run was pacing, but Betty hadn’t been for a run in years and she was feeling it as they continued to move, pushing forward into a light jog. She could tell almost immediately that her endurance was not what it used to be, and as they picked up the momentum in silence, Betty was struggling to catch her breath and move forward at the same time. 

“Okay -” she panted, stopping suddenly. Bending over slightly, hands on her knees, she tried to steady her breathing. “I need a second” She breathed out, and Archie’s light footfall stopped as he fell in step beside her. He was barely breaking a sweat. He was built for workouts like this. 

He took a swig of his water, and let out a laugh. “Wow Bets, you really do suck at this.”

Betty’s face was flushed with heat and her hair felt damp, her skin sleek with sweat in places she completely forgot existed. She rolled her shoulders and stuck her tongue out at him, breathing hard.

“I told you, I don’t run. When was the last time we even did this?” She quipped, reaching for her own water bottle and taking a long chug.

Archie scratched his head. “I don’t know, it’s been a while.” 

“Evidently” Betty shot back, taking a deep breath and starting up a brisk walk. “Come on, I’ll walk, you can do a lap, I might still be here when you come round again.”

Archie shook his head. “Don’t be silly. I’ll walk with you. There’s no rush, right.”

They fell into step beside each other, in sync, and in silence. There was a reason Archie wanted to run with her but Betty didn’t want to ask what it was. Truth be told, she had been avoiding him. She didn’t really know how to talk to him right now, and she was struggling with everything. The thoughts, her feelings, she was trying to rationalise her head, but it was battling her heart. Her heart that she knew deep down would always belong to the boy next door.

“So…” Archie started, glancing sideways to see her glancing back at him. “You’ve been avoiding me.” It came out a little blunter than he had anticipated. 

“I know. I’m sorry. I just – things are complicated right now.” 

_ Complicated. _ That was all she could say.

Archie nodded. “I get that. I am part of the complication.” 

Betty huffed and rolled her eyes. She wanted to be mad at him, but even if she was mad at him, it was just to cover up the fact that she was mad at herself. She had been weak, and her heart had taken over in the heat of the moment. 

_ At least that was what she continued to tell herself. _

“Archie, that kiss was a mistake.” She stopped walking, and stared up at him, watching as the hurt crossed his brow. “And it shouldn’t have happened.”

Archie shook his head. “Then why can’t I stop thinking about it, Betty?” He whispered. 

Betty’s eyes clouded over, and she could feel the prickle of unwanted tears, she tried to push them away, and she turned to keep walking. “I don’t know. But you can’t do this to me, not again.”

Archie pulled her arm back and swung her round to face him, he was off the curb, standing in the road. They had jogged further than either of them thought.

“There are no words that can express how truly sorry I am for everything that’s happened between us, Bets. You know that.” His hands grabbed both of hers and she squeezed her eyes shut at the softness in his voice, at the sound of his nickname for her. “God, I wish I could take it back. I wish I could take it all back.” 

She shook her head, trying to pull herself away from him. 

“Don’t say that. Don’t say that because if you took it all back, you wouldn’t be with V.”

Archie’s voice dropped, low and his brown eyes glistened. They were piercing and Betty could not look away. She knew she should. She knew before the words escaped his lips that she should have turned and ran the other way, but she stayed, frozen. 

“I don’t want Veronica.” He whispered. “Not like that. Not, not anymore.” He stumbled, his hands gripping hers.

She let out a shaky breath. “Please, Arch, don’t do this. Not here, not now.”

“Now is all we have, Betty.”

Betty tilted her head, her eyes puzzling. “What’s that supposed to mean?”

Archie dropped her hands. “You know what I mean. In a few weeks, everything will change and I can’t let you leave without you hearing the truth.”

“The truth?” She bit her tongue. “There’s nothing - Archie, I can’t…We can’t.” She struggled to find her words.

Archie grabbed her hands again, holding them against his chest, pulling her closer. “We can though, Betty. We can.” He pressed his soft lips against the tips of her knuckles. “You and I can be together.”

Her eyes were wide and her heart was pounding in her chest. She was starting to feel sick, dizzy. “What about Veronica? What about Jughead? You’re not thinking clearly right now.” She snapped, trying to pull her hands free. Archie let her slip away, his eyes flashing.

“This is one of the few times I’ve thought very clearly, Betty. I want to give us a chance. Do you not want that?” 

His eyes softened, and a sad expression crossed his face. Betty’s heart pained. Of course she wanted that. She had wanted that from the minute she first laid eyes on him. He had penetrated every fibre of her being. Was it really too late? The words were on her lips before she had time to think about it. Her head was always punishing her heart.

“It’s too late.”

She turned away from him, her eyes meeting the ground. “I think it’s time we head back.” She dragged her trainers along the grit. “School.”

Archie reached for her again, he wasn’t going to give up. Not this time. “Betty, please.” The hurt in his voice caused a sob to rise in her throat. 

“I can’t.” She sounded so defeated. She hadn’t wanted this conversation, she wasn’t prepared for it.

“Can’t, or won’t?” Archie asked, holding her in place staring at her with wild eyes. 

Betty gritted her teeth, boring her blue eyes into his. “Not like this.” 

Archie drew her in closer. “Not like what?” His forehead came to rest against hers. She could feel his breath on her face. The wind had dulled, and warmth from the rising sun was creeping up her back.

“I’m with Jughead.” She whispered so quietly. She wasn’t sure if it was reinforcement for her, or for him. Archie’s lips quivered, as she watched them from underneath her lashes. The temptation was real. She wanted to look away from his lips, but she didn’t think locking eyes with him would be any better. She needed to get away from him. She needed to get back home, get back to reality because this… this had to be a dream. 

Everything was happening too fast and all at once. Everything she had ever wanted, standing in front of her but it wasn’t right, it couldn’t happen like this. There was so much they needed to discuss, with each other.

The thought of Jughead unwillingly crossed her mind and tears started to fall from her eyes. She silently sobbed, her chest heaving. Archie’s thumb was against her cheek in an instant, brushing away her tears. 

“Please don’t cry.” He spoke so softly, it hurt her all the more.

This was too much to handle too early in the morning. They were standing on a dirt track road, at least 2 miles outside Riverdale, and Betty’s mind wandered. Would it be too much to ask Archie to keep running with her? Maybe they could run away, hitchhike to New York City? They had both talked about moving there once, many years ago now.

With her eyes squeezed shut, she was unaware that Archie’s arms had enveloped her into a hug, and she was pressed so tightly to his hard, lean body. She was also unaware of an image playing out in Archie’s mind as he cradled her against him.

Archie’s thoughts wandered to a three-bed town house in Staten Island, Betty working as a journalist in the city, and him owning his own auto shop. There was the pitter patter of tiny feet, an angelic laugh coming from a toddler with auburn hair and piercing blue eyes; the spitting image of both Betty, and himself. It played like a loop, on and on in his head. Slowly, he pulled himself away from Betty, just enough to look down at the girl in his arms. Her face was pale, her eyes wet. 

“Run away with me.” Archie mumbled. Betty’s eyes flickered up to meet his.

She swallowed, a faint smile crossing her lips. She was done pretending. 

“I’d run anywhere with you, Arch.” 

He flashed a lopsided smile, before his head moved forward. He hesitated for a moment, drawing back, searching her face. If he kissed her now, he wanted it to be because she wanted him to, but Betty didn’t hesitate, she looped her arms around his neck, and swiftly closed the distance between them.

As the morning sun rose higher and the deserted road echoed with only the sound of crows cawing in the distance, Archie’s mind flashed to that angelic little laugh again. HIs future was right in front of him. It always had been; his future was with the girl next door.


End file.
